TJET Committee
What is TJET? In 2014-2015 the Japanese government and CLAIR, in order to boost English proficiency in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, implemented a rapid expansion of the JET program in Tokyo with the mass settlement of over 350 JET participants (up from a mere 10 JETs in 2013). To combat growing pains and to create a network of support for Tokyo JETs who face fundamentally different challenges than their friends in other prefectures, 2014 Tokyo JETs partnered with the Tokyo Board of Education to create the Tokyo JET (TJET) Committee in spring of 2015. Since then the committee has expanded to include the private school JETs. The TJET Committee is comprised completely of volunteers and aims to enrich the lives of all fellow Tokyo JETs by helping them stay informed and connected to both the JET and greater Tokyo communities. Among other things, the committee supports orientation and settlement efforts for new JETS, organizes professional development opportunities, plans social events, and manages the website. Committees You Can Join The overall committee has three sub-committees; the Professional Development Committee, Social Committee, and Information Committee. Any Tokyo JET is welcome and encouraged to join!! If you are interested in volunteering for any committees, get in touch with the respective committee chair! Social *The greater mission of the Social Committee is to ensure all Tokyo JETs are able to enjoy their time in Japan. *The Social Committee plans and hosts events for JETs in the Tokyo Metropolitan area including: ** planning welcome and goodbye events for JETs ** exposing JETs to different areas of Tokyo ** celebrating Western holidays as well as Japanese holidays ** hosting JET only events as well as mixed events with JETs and locals Professional Development *The greater mission of the Professional Development Committee is to provide opportunities for Tokyo JETs to acquire skills that will help them both in their current roles and throughout their careers. *The Professional Development Committee (PDC) organizes professional development opportunities for JETs in the Tokyo metro area by: ** organizing the Tokyo JET Orientation panel for public school JETs ** working with the COs to organize annual professional development conferences ** developing Japanese language study opportunities, tools, and resources for all students of all levels Information *The greater mission of the Information Committee is to ensure all Tokyo JETs have access to the information that they need in order to be successful at work and in their personal lives. *The Information Committee delivers information to Tokyo JETs by: ** receiving and transmitting information from both Private and Public School PAs ** adding to, updating, and moderating the Tokyo JET Wikia ** creating, procuring, and editing creative content ** posting to social media recent updates to the various information outlets Current Executive Committee Heads The TJET Executive Committee is a group of JETs elected by their peers to address issues of concern and organize JET events and activities. Elections for these positions are held bi-annually. Commitments include monthly meetings at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office and other committee-specific duties. The Executive Committee is here to help, so feel free to approach them with any concerns! Isabel is a 2015 JET from Washington, DC. She graduated from the College of William & Mary majoring in Japanese Language & Cultural Studies. She currently works at a small public high school in west Tokyo with a business course and a unique forestry and wilderness program. She likes millinery, reading, and ampersands. Please contact via: itsukaichitokyojet@gmail.com |- | | Vice-President: Andrew Rails *The Vice-President works with the President and more closely with Committee Chairs to help create the best Professional and Social environment for all JETs within the Tokyo community. What’s up TJETs! My name is Andrew Rails, and I’m from Kansas, USA. I came to Tokyo through the JET Program in 2016 with a B.A. in English and Graphic Design and a B.S. in Secondary Education. I’m teaching/loving life at Takashima High School in Itabashi-ku. In my free time, I love being involved in my church community at Lifehouse Tokyo, as well as helping with a language exchange, playing video games, and watching Marvel movies. My goal for my time as VP of the TJET Committee is to help support this wonderful community of driven people achieve all they can during their time in the Tokyo JET Program. Please contact via: Facebook |- | | Information Chair: Megan Downey *The Information Committee delivers information to Tokyo JETs. Megan is a 2015 JET from Phoenix, Arizona. She lives on the border between Setagaya and Shibuya and teaches across the street from all the national sports stadiums at Aoyama Public High School. Her dream job is an astrosociologist aboard a starship doing comparative studies of extraterrestrial civilizations and the nature of sapience, but is happy to settle for intercultural studies & education on the planet Earth -- at least until we find the aliens. Please contact via: tjetinfo@gmail.com |- | | Professional Development Chair: Ace Rivera *The Professional Development Committee (PDC) organizes professional development opportunities Tokyo JETs. Ace is a 2015 JET from Brooklyn, NY. He graduated with a BA in business administration from Mount Saint Mary College in upstate NY. Before joining JET, Ace spent two years working in IT at a university in NYC while taking Japanese night school classes. He currently works at Meisei Gakkuen in Fuchu. In his spare time, you can find him either attending social events in the city, or holed up in his house happily editing his next video project. Please contact via: Facebook |- | | Social Committee Chair: J. Dallas Helton *The Social Committee plans and hosts events for Tokyo JETs. Dallas is originally from Houston, Texas but moved to Kentucky in his late teens. He graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a B.A. in German and an M.A. in Teaching. Currently, he lives and works in the beautiful city of Hachioji. In his free time, he enjoys movies, video games, and aimlessly wandering around Tokyo pretending to be a photographer. As Social Committee Chair, he hopes to bring JETs closer to the local community and help relieve some of the daily stresses we all face. Please contact via: Facebook |- ! ! Feel free to contact any of us as you need! |} Executive Meeting Minutes Category:Public Category:Private